Tiffany Lane, who served as Director of LGBTQA Advocacy & Education, resigned to take a similar position at Colgate University earlier this summer (File photo)

By Benjamin Pontz, Editor-in-Chief

When Tiffany Lane took over as Gettysburg’s second-ever Director of LGBTQA Advocacy & Education in the fall of 2016, she said, “When people look for LGBTQA-friendly private liberal arts colleges, I would like Gettysburg to be the leading example.”

Now, less than two years later, Lane has left the college for a similar position at Colgate University and, when asked to assess the progress of her office and the college towards that goal, she declined to comment except to say, “I do hope Gettysburg College will focus their efforts on filling the position to ensure continuous support for all LGBTQA students and staff.”

With less than one month until the start of classes, no search has been announced to fill the position, and some student leaders in the LGBTQA community are questioning the college’s commitment to supporting students.

“This position is really important to a large portion of the campus, and there’s no reason for the search to be delayed,” said Lauren Heyer ’21, secretary of outerspace, a club that promotes community for students who identify as LGBTQA on campus. “This search should have started when Tiffany resigned.”

Heyer went on to call the delay “unprofessional” on the part of college administration.

Dean of Students Julie Ramsey said that the college plans to assess the goals and impact of the program to guide a search process that will occur next spring, which, she said, is when the college typically draws a stronger candidate pool for administrative positions. In the interim, Assistant Dean of College Life and Executive Director of the Center for Public Service Gretchen Natter will fill the role with input from Anna Perry ’21, the LGBTQA Advocacy & Education office’s program coordinator, as well as the leaders of QHouse and outerspace. Natter filled the role on an interim basis prior to Lane’s arrival as well.

In assessing Lane’s tenure, Ramsey said that Lane helped the college advance on the road to providing a more supportive environment for LGBTQA students and staff.

“Tiffany had begun to form stronger partnerships with the Health Center and had also focused on expanding Safe Zone training to make it more accessible to the entire community,” Ramsey said. “The position will always have a strong emphasis expanding and deepening support for LGBTQA students. This happens through campus training, as well as policy development and incorporation of inclusive practices in all of our work.”

Overall, Ramsey said the climate for LGBTQA students and staff remains of concern despite progress that has been made in recent years.

“Undoubtedly, there are systemic issues for LGBTQA staff and students at Gettysburg—I think that has been made clear through the climate study and other assessments in the recent past,” she said. “At the same time, it is also the case that the college has made progress during the past several years in the environment and culture, but certainly there is more to accomplish.”

On Sunday, July 29, first-year students of Gettysburg College were excited to find their housing assignments up and active on the new student dining portal. So excited, in fact, that 77 first-year students posted their room assignments on the Gettysburg College Class of 2022 Facebook page, with a handful more of them posting questions on how to find their assignments.

However, it was made clear soon enough that the assignments were not supposed to have been visible yet.

Sarah Tokar ‘19, admin of the Facebook page and a student worker in the Office of Residential and First-Year Programming (RFYP) posted on the page on Monday that housing assignments were not meant to have been visible until Wednesday, August 1. She went on,“We were not aware that this was the case and apologize that you were able to stumble across this information. We are working with our colleagues in Dining Services to get the information temporarily removed from the website until all assignments are ready.”

In a statement to The Gettysburgian, Danielle Phillips, Director of Residential & First-Year Programs, explained, “Assignments are unlikely to change from the assignments that were temporarily visible to students through the dining site. If there are any changes, it would likely be due to a change in a student’s First-Year Seminar course or an approved medical accommodation.”

First-year students will be able to view their finalized housing assignments, along with their roommates, by accessing My Housing on CNAV with their Gettysburg login starting tomorrow, Wednesday, August 1.

This week, President Trump once again grabbed international headlines with remarks made during an historic and controversial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting arrived amid an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election and suspected collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign. Just last week, the Mueller probe charged 12 Russian intelligence officers for offenses relating to digital security breaches of the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

It is with this conspicuous backdrop that Presidents Trump and Putin met to discuss significant global issues concerning their respective nations as well as world peace and security. The United States and Russia are the world’s two largest nuclear powers and have been playing a Cold War style game of geopolitical chess along the front lines of their spheres of influence. Topics of discussion included not only potential Russian election interference, but also additional consequential matters such as the Syrian Civil War, arms control, Crimea, and sanctions.

So why does it feel so much like Reagan’s similarly controversial and unprecedented meeting with Gorbachev in 1985 to discuss a cooling of tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States? After all, the Cold War ended in 1991, so we are told. Unfortunately, however, there are interests in domestic American politics (as well as in domestic Russian politics) who benefit from the fear mongering and inflammatory dialogue of Cold War-era relations between the two nations. For so long, Russia has been the natural foil to the American democratic principles that govern and protect the world. In other words, many government leaders prefer to continuously paint Russia as the “Evil Empire” of the twentieth century rather than open productive diplomatic relations.

Diplomacy has a longstanding tradition of being contentious among those who would stand to benefit from the continuation of deleterious relations between two nations. In fact, one of the most widely investigated and momentous acts of American diplomacy occurred under the administration of George Washington. Known as Jay’s Treaty, President Washington presented to Congress and the American people a treaty that was largely viewed as providing conciliations and implicit endorsement to England at the expense of our French allies and American independence.

The popular response to Jay’s treaty was so widespread and extreme that even the apotheose George Washington was a target of animosity among his countrymen. In fact, Thomas Jefferson and many of his allies went so far as to call Washington treasonous for making a pact with the revolutionary enemy of the United States. In the 1790s, therefore, England held the foil status that Russia now bears.

One would be hard pressed to find an American today who considers George Washington to have been treasonous for negotiating with England. And historians widely agree that Jay’s Treaty was an important step in avoiding war with the world’s preeminent military power. Those in power at the time generally acknowledged the danger to American independence and security if we were drawn into another European war at such a young age.

Americans need look no further than the headlines of some of America’s premier newspapers to see the dangerous rhetoric branding the democratically elected President of the United States a traitor to his country. True, President Trump has a severe lacking in many traditional characteristics of American presidents, particularly concerning personality traits generally expected of the chief diplomat. But to discount a diplomatic summit between the Presidents of Russia and the US as treachery, a claim derived simply from personal animus towards the man himself, is downright dangerous.

We must never regard diplomacy as hazardous. Opponents of Jay’s Treaty would have liked to see a war between the United States and England, one that would have been devastating to the American people and the advancement of civil discourse between nations. By treating Russia as our enemy, as if the Cold War never ended, those opponents to President Trump’s meeting with Putin, and Kim Jong-Un, are normalizing dangerous rhetoric that would lead to war. And the truth is, diplomacy is always better than violent conflict. That’s why Nixon’s visit to China, Reagan’s meeting with Gorbachev, and Carter’s Camp David Accords are generally accepted as breakthroughs in diplomatic history. Both domestically and abroad, Americans need to follow in Abraham Lincoln’s footsteps and “do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

The Lux Chamber Choir performs at St. Jerome’s Church in June 2018 (Photo courtesy of Lux)

By Benjamin Pontz, Editor-in-Chief

A chamber choir composed of just over a dozen college students — including five who attend or recently graduated from Gettysburg College — will perform a concert on Sunday afternoon, July 22, at Christ Lutheran Church in Gettysburg beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Lux, Latin for “light,” is a student-conceived and student-run choir directed by Robby Napoli ’19, a music education major in the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg, that has performed since 2014 when a group of high school classmates from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, wanted to perform a piece they would not in their high school choir and formed their own group to do so. Since then, Lux has programmed seven seasons of music and released two albums.

Napoli said that the group rehearses twice per week during the summer months when its members — who, aside from those at Gettysburg, mostly attend the University of Maryland — are out of school. Membership is drawn from Napoli’s friends and the friends of other singers in the group. Currently, there are 20-22 members on the roster, and between 16 and 18 perform at a time. On Sunday, that will include recent graduate Nicole Densmoor ’18 as well as current students Napoli, Eby Buscher ’19, Austin Nikirk ’20, and Hannah Kolarik ’20.

The program is entitled “A Journey of Life” and, according to the group’s website, will include works from the likes of contemporary choral composer Eric Whitacre, whose masterwork “Lux Aurumque” helped inspire the name of the group, as well as Napoli, who arranged “Lux Aeterna” for a commission by the Gettysburg College Choir. The piece will be performed in honor of Zachary Misleh, a high school classmate for many of the group’s members at DeMatha Catholic, who died in 2017.

Napoli said the group aspires to be “slowly moving towards going professional,” but he acknowledges that can be a slow process. Nevertheless, Whitacre is among the professional composers who have praised the group’s performances, calling its rendition of his piece “Sainte Chapelle” both “beautiful” and “lovely.”

For all of the accolades and ambition, Napoli wants to ensure the group remains true to its founding purpose.

“It’s really important to us to ensure that we don’t lose sight of why we started doing this in the first place – to sort of lighten the mood, so to speak, of classical music,” Napoli said, “and to just have fun making great music with amazing people.”

Jay Hauser argues that open borders and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement can lead to a more just immigration system (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

By Jay Hauser, Columnist

From 1933 to 2003, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service was responsible for the internal enforcement of immigration laws, protection of borders, customs law enforcement, and naturalization services. In 2003, ICE was created as a post-9/11 anti-terrorism program. The thought was that a specialized internal immigration enforcement agency would better prevent terrorism by preemptively deporting terrorists illegally residing in the United States. Yet, instead of an agency devoted to immigration enforcement with an eye towards preventing terrorism, the Bush administration created a broad deportation force that, in enforcing immigration law, acts in contradiction to its original priority by creating a disincentive for people living in close quarters with a violent individual to “say something” if they “see something.” After all, why would someone risk their deportation if there is potential that they are wrong about their suspicions?

This contradictory relationship between mandate and mission, along with the disruptive nature ICE has on communities, its cruel and constitutionally dubious tactics, and its lack of accountability call for the abolition of ICE. But the abolition of ICE is not enough to address the underlying problems inherent in the illegality of border crossings and overstaying one’s visa with regards to post-colonial injustice, the prevention of crime and violence, and the interaction between the two. To solve these problems, we should open up our borders, legalizing all forms of immigration (with obvious exceptions for known risks).

People cross the border illegally to seek out better economic prospects and flee violence, risking punishment from those who created the income inequalities and violence in the first place. Global North countries like the United States, through a centuries-long process of colonialism, imperialism, and snowballed economic advantage in an era of globalized competition, have deprived countries in the Global South of any competitive advantage other than low-paying cheap labor and economically unreliable natural resource abundance. The poverty and lack of success in the mainstream global marketplace leads to the creation of a violent black market due to the need for economic attainment inherent in survival. Those without access to the black market or those who choose not to participate are left with no other option but to immigrate to a country with better economic prospects and lower levels of violence (such as the United States of America). Yet, they are often locked out of the legal process due to intolerably long waiting periods for visas and left with no choice but to illegally cross borders or overstay visas, violating the laws of the country that, despite being the cause of their woes, could potentially be their refuge. Those of us in the Global North occupy a position of privilege over others and have a human duty to do whatever we can to alleviate the harms we have caused. Legalizing their sojourns is a good start.

At the same time, the illegality of immigration contributes to crime and violence in a manner that cannot be solved by abolishing ICE. For one, “coyotes,” as providers of an illegal service, can (and do) rape, abuse, and extort without consequence. Those utilizing their services cannot report their violence without risking self-incrimination. Since their service’s value comes from the illegal nature of the border crossing, only by legalizing border crossings can we render their services unnecessary. At the same time, legalization, similar to the ever-controversial “sanctuary city,” would lower crime in communities within the United States by allowing immigrants to interact with, assist, and develop a mutual trust with law enforcement officers without fear of deportation. This idea would work better without immigration as a crime than simply without ICE. Due to Section 287(g) of the INS-era Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, police departments are allowed to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to help enforce illegal immigration laws. This would continue to propagate a system similar to that of “sanctuary cities,” where local law enforcement authorities choose to enforce immigration laws. Merely replacing ICE would compel local authorities to act against their own enforcement interests, focusing instead on immigration law violations instead of more pressing matters. Finally, by legalizing immigration, we can prevent terrorism and international crime by giving recruits to illicit organizations another economically sound option other than joining up, preventing larger instances of crime and violence by cutting off manpower at the source.

This policy is quite controversial, so here is a response to some questions and misconceptions I foresee many readers having.

This isn’t secure at all.

Openness vs. security is a false choice. We could combine the procedures of airport security with regards to searches with the infrastructure of border patrols. Instead of having border patrol turn away or arrest illegal border crossers, they would have their persons, belongings, and backgrounds searched in a manner similar to airport security. With a mix of large-scale checkpoints to handle most entries and smaller patrols to handle entries at uncommon locations, we could create a system that has fewer holes and security risks than the current border patrol. We could also speed up the process by investing more money in immigrant visa application processing and removing the nation-based quotas that create the obscenely long wait times that lead to illegal immigration.

But immigration will cause my wages to decrease, make me lose my job, and depress the economy.

Probably not. In the past, the reason why employers preferred undocumented immigrant labor is because it as cheaper. Due to their status, undocumented immigrants lack legal recourse in response to abuse and could not organize, as they were unable to come forward without risking deportation and could be threatened into subservience by their employers. That’s why they made such good strike-breakers. They could be hired in response to union organization and demands for higher wages and protections. In fact, their illegal status weakens the position of labor in relation to management. By allowing them to come forward and join unions without consequence, the power of organized labor increases. In addition, economies expand to fit the number of people within them. Immigrants require goods and services just like everyone else. This demand will allow for job creation to match the flow of immigrants. Like it does as our population grows, the economy will expand. Moreover, immigration matches skillsets to economies best equipped to utilize them. You’ll be fine.

But this will cause disorder.

If you are referring to things like the need for housing, do not worry. Any policy change this massive will presumably be done gradually enough to allow for the construction of housing. As for social disorder, also do not worry. Just refrain from freaking out whenever you hear a language that isn’t English. Maybe learn another language yourself. All in all, just don’t be a nationalist zealot.

But this isn’t feasible.

Not with that attitude. But yeah, you’re probably right. For now. However, talking about it would move the Overton window towards more just solutions to immigration.

The Supreme Court of the United States (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

By Christopher Condon, Columnist

The Constitution of the United States contains relatively little material concerning the federal judiciary, and even less regarding the Supreme Court. In fact, one of the only provisions of the document that mentions the Court is the one that mandates a judicial term of “good behaviour,” which has come to be interpreted as a period during which judges or justices do not commit a criminal offense. Following the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy from the High Court, many across the nation have begun to issue various proposals to limit service on the Supreme Court to a term of years rather than that of good behavior. Therefore, it has now become prudent to examine first the role of the judiciary in good governance, and second the contrary nature of judicial term limits to this proper role.

The Supreme Court of the United States was created by the Constitution as a bulwark against majoritarian rule. Vested with the authority to act as the arbiter of constitutional disputes and disagreements regarding the meaning of federal law, the Court acts only in relation to the other branches with no police power and no purse strings to tighten or relax. Hamilton lends gravity to this argument when outlining the importance of the federal judiciary in Federalist No. 78, where he rebuffs claims by the anti-federalists that the third branch will wield unchecked power against the other two: “…the judiciary is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments of power; that it can never attack with success either of the other two; and that all possible care is requisite to enable it to defend itself against their attacks.” Although the Court may be structurally weakest among the branches of government, its importance and role can hardly be overstated.

As the final decider in questions regarding the interpretation of the Constitution, the Supreme Court acts as the ultimate defense against minority oppression by a vengeful majority. Granted, the Court has not always succeeded in this endeavor, but the reason for repeated failure is most often that justices view their power as subservient to both the executive and the legislature, while they are meant to be regarded as equal in the constitutional scheme. Most assuredly, justices have been wary of exerting judicial influence because the Court’s authority rests solely in the hearts and minds of the citizenry, while they ironically are structurally the furthest from the popular will. Judicial legitimacy, as has been the case throughout history, is a matter of faith and confidence. This is all the more reason to preserve judicial independence, as a Court subservient to the other branches ultimately becomes little more than a passive bystander in the business of government. Rather than acting as a staunch protector of constitutional liberty, the Court may become an atrophied capitulator to its surroundings.

Robert Yates is often promoted as one providing a sound case against a political and unruly judiciary in the lesser-known Anti-Federalist Papers. Therein, he addresses the lack of accountability regarding the Supreme Court, taking issue with the lack of a superior body to correct the “error” of the High Court. Although there are many issues with this argument, which include questioning of the very principle of judicial review, those issues are best saved for another time. It must now be stressed that Yates’ writings absolutely do not strengthen the case for judicial term limits because he actually agrees with the Constitution’s provision for judicial terms of good behavior. Even Yates agrees with Hamiltonians that the notion of judicial good behavior, originating in the judicial system of the United Kingdom, is essential in ensuring the independence of the judiciary from the whims of the other branches. Historically, the judiciary was subject to the whims of the King and would often rule in his favor to protect itself from his wrath. Now, as Hamilton argues, it insulates the Court from the popular sentiments of the legislature.

If the assumption is made that promoters of judicial term limits carry more concern regarding the politicization of the judicial nomination process itself, their case is likewise not strengthened. Under the current constitutional framework, justices serve until retirement or death, ensuring a certain level of unpredictability regarding the precise time of retirement. Alternatively, if justices’ retirement from the bench was ensured by a limited term of years, then the senatorial struggle over nomination and confirmation would be much more strategically planned and executed by both parties. With this condition comes the same level of campaigning and vitriol that accompanies judicial nominations now, except this would be magnified and stretched to encompass a sort of quasi-campaign season, much like that of the current presidency. Suggesting that it is better for voters in presidential elections to know exactly when judicial seats are at stake is equally as unwise, as this would incentivize presidential candidates to politicize the Court even further to energize their political bases.

Accounting for these reasons, it is clear that the carefully considered term of good behavior is an essential feature of the Supreme Court of the United States. If justices were mandated to retire by our Constitution, the importance of the judiciary would be reduced to that of a glorified third chamber of Congress. As the branch furthest from the will of the populace, the Court must serve as the vanguard against the curtailment of minority liberty. If justices are subject to the whims and interests of senators on a scheduled basis even more than they are in the present, Americans will undoubtedly witness a devaluation and veritable declawing of the Supreme Court as a coequal branch, becoming ever more transient and subservient to the remaining branches. In this sense, it does not matter if term limits “benefit both parties,” because term limits would be a detriment to the Court overall and the liberties it protects. Furthermore, the independence of the Supreme Court as established in the Constitution is far from a “quixotic” notion, as it is a fundamental pillar of American government.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a non-partisan group that promotes individual rights, especially free speech, on college campuses, released an article commending both the approach and the result of Gettysburg College’s yearlong process to develop an affirmative statement of philosophy on freedom of expression.

Beginning in the fall of the 2017-18 academic year, on the heels of Robert Spencer’s May 2017 visit to campus, which sparked considerable debate over the bounds of freedom of expression on campus, Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs charged a panel to gather input from campus stakeholders and draft a statement of institutional philosophy to guide future decision-making and policy development on freedom of expression. After a series of town hall meetings and the release of a draft statement that was subsequently amended to remove a clause that said the college may seek to restrict speech that violates its policies on non-discrimination, the statement went to Student Senate and the faculty for discussion and approval. The process ended in May when the Board of Trustees officially ratified the statement.

FIRE, which has frequently opposed and attacked campus speech policies it views as restrictive and in violation of First Amendment rights to free speech and has encouraged campuses across the country to adopt some form of the “Chicago Statement,” which Gettysburg’s statement mirrors, lauded Gettysburg’s statement for its strong defense of freedom of expression.

“FIRE applauds this comprehensive approach to adopting an institutional statement on free expression,” the article, written by FIRE program officer Mary Zoeller, said. “The Philosophy will not only guide the Gettysburg community in handling future free speech issues, but also broadly envisions a campus culture in which ideas — popular or not — are expressed, discussed, and debated.”

FIRE specifically cited a passage in Gettysburg’s statement that encourages “more speech” in response to speech with which one disagrees, which refers to former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ opinion in Whitney v. California (1927), as “perhaps the best element of the Philosophy.”

Zoeller said in an email to The Gettysburgian that the process Gettysburg used in adopting the statement is more inclusive than what other institutions have done.

“Often, we see unilateral adoptions of free speech statements by just the administration, or just a faculty senate,” she said. “However, Gettysburg demonstrated a comprehensive approach to tackling this important endeavor by including many different stakeholders.”

Associate Provost Jennifer Bloomquist, who chaired the committee that drafted the statement, appreciated that the article was complimentary and that it referred to Gettysburg as a leader in undertaking such a process.

“It reinforces what I have been saying over the past couple of months, that an inclusive process was essential to the development and ratification of the philosophy,” she said.

Patrick McKenna ’20, who was the student representative to the committee, concurred, adding that the leadership and vision for such a process came from the top, which gave credibility to the committee’s work.

“I am pleased that the leadership of President Riggs and the excellent work she did in creating an inclusive process that was carried out by the campus working group in drafting an all-encompassing philosophy with regards to freedom of expression has been recognized on the national level by a venerated organization such as FIRE,” he said.

McKenna added that he looks forward to the review of college policies that will begin this fall to ensure alignment with the institutional philosophy.

Despite FIRE’s support for the new statement of philosophy, it believes several campus policies have potential to restrict freedom of expression and urged the college to ensure individual rights are protected.

Beltz said that FIRE “would be pleased to work with the Gettysburg administration to revise all of its yellow light rated speech codes to better meet First Amendment standards.”

The yellow light refers to FIRE’s three-tier system of evaluating college speech codes modeled after a traffic light, in which Gettysburg rates in the middle “yellow” category.

Both Bloomquist and Dean of Students Julie Ramsey said that the college has no plans to work with FIRE in its revision of campus policies, a stance McKenna supports.

“The strength and power of the philosophy comes from the fact that it was crafted through an inclusive process that included all members of the Gettysburg College community,” he said. “To take the hard work of the Gettysburg College community and then outsource it while we are not yet finished feels wrong.”

Ramsey said that the Student Life Committee, which is composed of College Life administrators, faculty, and students, will undertake the review of policies beginning early this fall and that, while it is impossible to know exactly how long that process will take, she imagines it will be complete by the end of the fall semester.

In contrast to the process used to draft the statement of philosophy, however, the Student Life Committee will not seek votes of ratification from campus constituencies, Ramsey said, though she added, “The committee typically seeks the input of students on policy issues which affect them.”

Ramsey would not confirm that the policies mentioned by FIRE are among those for which revisions are under consideration, but suggested that the committee would decide for itself what to review.

“It is too soon for me to say which policies will be revised in light of the Philosophy statement; that really will be up to the committee to decide, but I expect that any policy that intersects with expression could be up for review,” she said.

Nick Arbaugh ’20, President of Student Senate and an incoming member of the Student Life Committee, said he plans to push for the policy revisions FIRE supports.

“I am in full support of an expansion of Gettysburg student’s freedom of speech rights just as FIRE has described,” he said. “I look forward to working closely with FIRE in the near future as the process of removing undue restrictions on the natural rights of students continues into the future.”

President Janet Morgan Riggs announced her plans last month to retire at the end of the 2018-19 academic year (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College)

By Benjamin Pontz, Editor-in-Chief

On the committee searching for a new president of Gettysburg College are seven members of the Board of Trustees, three members of the faculty, a member of the support staff, an administrator, and a student.

The committee, which will hold its second meeting later this month, is currently working to select a search firm to help facilitate the search process.

Charlie Scott ’77, the vice chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Presidential Search Committee (PSC), said that finding a diverse pool of qualified candidates is a priority for the PSC, and that potential search firms’ track record in identifying such candidates is a primary consideration in the evaluation.

Consistent with the search’s priority of diversity, the PSC’s 13 representatives include six people of color and five women.

Larry Walker '76, retired President of the Louis Berger Group, an engineering and architectural firm in New Jersey. Walker majored in sociology and anthropology at Gettysburg, earned a Master's Degree in Urban Affairs at Virginia Tech, and worked on projects with the Louis Berger Group as a contractor for the Department of Defense and Department of State.

Sarah Tokar '19, a classics major with minors in music and women, gender, and sexuality studies. Tokar also serves as a resident assistant, tour guide, and desk worker at the Office of Multicultural Engagement.

Jeff Siegfried '81, President and CEO of Omni Cable Corporation. Siegfried majored in business administration at Gettysburg and has led Omni Cable since 1981, the year he graduated Gettysburg.

Charlie Scott '77, principal and owner of CTS Consulting Group, a human resources consulting firm. Scott majored in history at Gettysburg, worked for Mercer Human Resources Consulting for 32 years, and is on the faculty of Temple University's Fox School of Business.

Dr. Sahana Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Gettysburg. Mukherjee teaches courses on cultural psychology as well as introductory psychology. She earned her Ph. D at the University of Kansas.

Vikesh Mahendroo, retired CEO of the Continuous Learning Group. Mahendroo earned a B.A. and M.A. in economics from St. Stephen's College and an M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School. He worked at Mercer Human Resources Consulting before moving into the educational field.

Lorraine Madden, Clery Compliance Coordinator at the Department of Public Safety. Madden holds both an associate's degree and a bachelor's degree from Endicott College, and she has worked at Gettysburg since 2015.

Dr. Alvaro Kaempfer, Professor of Spanish and Chair of the Globalization Studies Department. He teaches courses in Spanish literature as well as upper-level Globalization Studies seminars. Kaempfer earned his Ph. D from Washington University in St. Louis and was promoted to full professor in 2018.

Dr. Darrien Davenport, Executive Director of Multicultural Engagement. Davenport came to Gettysburg from York College in 2016, where he served as assistant dean of student affairs. He earned his Ed. D from Northeastern University.

Troy Datcher '90, Vice President Sales and Sports Marketing at The Clorox Company. Datcher majored in political science at Gettysburg and worked at Procter and Gamble before starting at Clorox in 1999. He was the keynote speaker for the college's 2017 celebration of Martin Luther King Day.

Marsha Hoffman Comegno ’94,
President and Founder of Journey Education Consulting, LLC. Hoffman Comegno majored in history at Gettysburg and earned a master's degree and Ph. D at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Char Weise, Professor of Economics and Chair of the Public Policy Program. Weise previously chaired the Faculty Council and the management department. He earned his Ph. D from the University of Wisconsin.

Lauren Wise Bright '90, Deputy General Counsel and Director at the Washington Office of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Wise Bright majored in political science at Gettysburg and went to Villanova Law School.

Scott said that the committee was formed with a variety of factors in mind including the Board of Trustees’ primary responsibility for the process as vested in the Board’s bylaws, which is why a majority of its members are trustees, as well as Gettysburg’s priority of shared governance among relevant constituencies, and what Scott called “our culture of inclusion.”

The three faculty members were self-nominated and selected by the outgoing and incoming chairs of the Faculty Council, Dr. Char Weise, Professor of Economics and Chair of the Public Policy program (outgoing Faculty Council chair), Dr. Alvaro Kaempfer, Professor of Spanish and Chair of the Globalization Studies program, and Dr. Sahana Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of Psychology. Scott noted that each academic division — social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities — are represented among the three faculty representatives to the PSC.

The administrator representative is Dr. Darrien Davenport, Executive Director of Multicultural Engagement, who has served in that role since the fall of 2016 and has served on several searches for administrators including the search for new athletic director Mike Mattia. Lorraine Madden, Clery Compliance and Auxiliary Services Coordinator in the Department of Public Safety, is the support staff representative. Both Davenport and Madden were chosen in consultation with college administration, Scott said.

Sarah Tokar ’19 is the student representative on the PSC. She was chosen after Dean of Students Julie Ramsey collected suggestions of students “who are in good academic and judicial standing, who are thoughtful and articulate, willing to speak up, and who are actively involved in the life of the college,” she said. Suggestions came from College Life staff members as well as Student Senate President Nick Arbaugh, and Ramsey forwarded all of the names of students who would be on campus in the fall to Scott, with whom she consulted as the final decision was made. Arbaugh said that Tokar was not among the students he suggested to Ramsey.

In April, Student Senate passed an opinion requesting that student representatives to committees and task forces created by the administration be selected by Student Senate. Ramsey said that the short turnaround time of forming the PSC prevented consultation with the entirety of Senate, but emphasized that she did allow Arbaugh to nominate students for consideration.

Arbaugh appeared to suggest that consultation with Senate was insufficient.

“I don’t see any input by the Senate on the presidential search committee, do you?” he said.

The PSC will meet again on June 29, at which time Scott anticipates having more information to release about the trajectory of the search and opportunities for the campus community to provide feedback.

Overall, Scott said Gettysburg is in a strong position thanks to the leadership of Riggs, but that this search is “very important to the future of our alma mater.”

“We are fortunate that Gettysburg College is well-positioned for the future and President Riggs deserves a large share of the credit for that,” Scott said. “However, she and the Board would immediately add that it is the strength of each and every part of the College community that makes Gettysburg College the great place it is.”

Steph Colson ’19 was named the NCAA Division III player of the year for women’s lacrosse and also was named MVP of the championship (Photo David Sinclair/Gettysburg College Athletics)

By Brody Tennant, Staff Writer

Exactly one year after their previous National Championship victory, the Gettysburg College women’s lacrosse team defended their title and remained the Division III national champions after defeating fourth-ranked Middlebury 11-9.

With this victory, the Bullets became just the fourth Division III program to win back to back national championships. They also became only the fifth Division III school to claim at least three national titles, joining The College of New Jersey, Salisbury University, Ursinus College, and their most recent opponent Middlebury.

“They were bold enough in the beginning of the year to say let’s do that again and when you make that commitment it comes with a whole lot of work and a whole lot of sacrifice and a whole lot of unselfishness,” said Coach Carol Cantele of her team’s mentality going into the season.

Junior Steph Colson was named Most Outstanding Performer in the Division III Championship for the second straight year. She had another impressive performance on the big stage, filling out the stat sheet with one goal, three assists, three ground balls, a caused turnover and nine draw controls. She also tallied 18 total draw controls in the semifinals and the championship, extending both the program and conference season record to 140. Last week, she was also named the Division III player of the year.

Colson had help along the way, with many impressive performances from her teammates. Sophomore Liza Barr had a game to remember, posting a career high five goals. Senior Katie Willis scored a couple goals of her own, and first year Kerry McKeever chipped in with a goal and an assist.

On the defensive side, junior Bailey Pilder notched twelve saves, two ground balls and a caused turnover. In addition, Senior Cassie Smith recorded four ground balls and two caused turnovers.

“I’m so incredibly proud of the seniors and what they accomplished this year, I’m going to miss them so much next year. I think as a group we’re an amazing new team this year and we had our own dream,” said Pilder.

After defeating Salisbury University 12-7, the Bullets were forced to wait an extra day to take on Middlebury and defend their title, an unsettling feeling for any athlete.

Both teams were very excited to finally get the game started, and the fans were not disappointed as they witnessed a very exciting game. In the first two minutes, Pilder recorded her first save on a shot by Hollis Perticone, and the Bullets immediately responded with a goal by Barr.

Middlebury responded with back to back goals, taking a 2-1 lead. However, Gettysburg didn’t let that last long, as they came back and scored four of the next five goals of the game. Middlebury was able to tie the game once again, but the Bullets went into the break ahead thanks to another Barr goal. After that point, Gettysburg scored six of the next seven goals.

After the break, both defenses were solid, combining for five saves in the first seven minutes of the final stanza. As time went on, Gettysburg’s constant and strong pressure on offense eventually led to some openings in the Middlebury defense. As the game began to wind down to the final couple minutes, the Bullets were able to maintain pressure and avoid the Middlebury pressure to secure their championship.

With 76 victories, the women’s lacrosse class of 2018 leaves with more career victories as a group than any graduating class in Gettysburg history.

The decision came after what Arbaugh described as “healthy discussion” among members of the executive board. Gluhanich was one of three applicants for the vacant position, which Arbaugh resigned upon his election as president.

“We wanted a candidate with experience, with integrity, and with new ideas to streamline Senate,” Arbaugh, who supported Gluhanich’s candidacy for president in the first round of balloting, said. “We found that in Haley.”

Arbaugh downplayed the role of the election investigation earlier in the spring as a factor in his decision.

“Candidates were judged on their individual merit and the value of what they could bring to the table,” he said, adding that the result of the investigation “wasn’t a major factor in the decision.”

The other two candidates were Alexander Xie ’20 and Harrison Curtis ’19.

Xie served as a senator for the Class of 2020 before he was removed from office due to violations of the attendance policy; he subsequently ran for both president and secretary in the second round of elections, but was not elected to either position. He did win election as a senator for the Class of 2020 after appearing as the only candidate on the ballot for the fall and one of four candidates seeking to fill the four slots in the spring. In an email, Xie said that he does not have any concerns with Gluhanich’s selection, and he intends to move forward as an elected senator in the fall.

Curtis served as a senator for the Class of 2019 in the fall semester of 2017-18 academic year, but was off campus during the spring. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his plans moving forward, but he was not a candidate for senator in the fall.

For her part, Gluhanich said she looks forward to moving past last spring’s investigation and returning to “something I love.”

“I would like to believe that I am very resilient person, so just because I was no longer allowed to be Student Senate President did not mean I was going to stop doing something that I enjoy,” she said.

She cited improving accountability procedures for club spending and “help[ing] clubs be more fiscally responsible” as primary goals for her tenure as treasurer.

The Senate Treasurer serves as chair of the Budget Management Committee (BMC), which oversees Senate’s annual budget for new initiatives. For the 2017-18 academic year, that budget was $91,511. BMC hears and approves budget requests before they go to the full Senate for a vote. As such, the BMC exercises significant authority to revise and pare down club budgets, which happened with increasing frequency during the 2017-18 academic year. Whereas Senate dipped into its rollover account for $23,000 at the end of the 2016-17 academic year, it had leftover funds at the end of 2017-18, of which it spent $20,000 to purchase and install eight new water bottle fillers and $2,500 for charitable contributions.

Gluhanich asserted the importance of good process in allocating Senate’s budget.

“I believe that when clubs follow all the steps in a proper time frame,” she said, “Senate will be able to flow even more efficiently.”

As for other plans while a member of the Senate Executive Board, Gluhanich expressed a desire to add more clarity to the Senate Bylaws and Constitution after her experience last spring, which centered on whether knocking on students’ doors with the digital ballot in hand constitutes “voter intimidation.”

Both Gluhanich and incoming secretary Marisa Balanda ’21, who went door-to-door with Gluhanich and was also found responsible for violating election procedures but was permitted to stand for election in the second balloting for secretary, have expressed a desire to codify those procedures.

“I think by changing very vague procedures within the Constitution and Bylaws to be more detailed would be a good start,” Gluhanich said.

With Gluhanich duly appointed as treasurer, the Senate Executive Board is now fully constituted. Vacancies remain for three senators to represent the Class of 2020 in the fall as well as for several class officer positions both in the classes of both 2019 and 2020. Those positions will be filled in the fall.

On Monday, May 21, Provost Christopher Zappe announced in an email to the campus community that “Jeffrey Blavatt ’88 has decided to resign from his position at The Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College.” Blavatt had served in leadership roles with EI since 2007 and was its Executive Director from its integration with the college in 2009. He also served as a member of the college’s Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2008.

Marley Dizney Swanson ’18, an EI Undergraduate Fellow during the 2017-18 academic year, remarked, “Jeffrey was not only a wonderful Executive Director, but a wonderful person. He went above and beyond to make sure that students’ voices were heard at EI. Jeffrey always worked tirelessly to ensure that EI programs were effective and beneficial for students and for the communities they worked with. His creativity, tireless drive, and kind heart will be dearly missed on campus.”

Blavatt was not available to comment on his departure, which has already taken effect.

With former assistant director Ben Hill also recently having left, EI is currently being led on an interim basis by Susan Eisenhower in conjunction with Associate Provost and Dean of Public Policy Programs Robert Bohrer. Eisenhower, granddaughter of 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, serves as Chairman Emerita of EI.

In an email to the EI community, Eisenhower stated, “In my role as the Chairman Emerita of the Institute, I’m excited to serve as the interim leader of the Institute working in partnership with College Provost Christopher Zappe and Rob Bohrer.”

The team will review the programs and offerings of the institute in the hopes of strengthening the experience that students gain.

Tension over funding and other aspects of EI’s distinctive expert-in-residence programs, one of the primary innovations of Blavatt’s tenure, had grown acute in recent years between college officials and certain students and experts according to numerous sources with direct knowledge of the situation who declined to be named due to their ties with EI.

Zappe and Bohrer denied that the college having a different vision for EI than Blavatt forced him to resign. They did, however, acknowledge their concern over sustainable funding for EI’s programs.

In a joint statement to The Gettysburgian, Zappe and Bohrer acknowledged the expert programs as the “foundation of the Eisenhower Institute offerings,” but stated, “We will need to make sure that our funding for EI programming is sufficient to sustain the existing programs, as we consider opportunities to engage students from their first year on campus through their senior year.”

Eisenhower and Bohrer will focus on engaging students in the coming academic year on programs relating to the legacy of President Eisenhower.

B.J. Dunne officially began his position as head coach of the Bullets men’s basketball team Monday, May 7. Sports editors Claire Healey and Elizabeth Hilfrank sat down with him to learn a little more about his prospects for the team and how he likes Gettysburg so far.

Healey & Hilfrank: How did you find Gettysburg?

Dunne: My wife is an alum, Megan, she graduated in 2008. So, Gettysburg has always been a really special place. We saw that Petrie was retiring, talked it over, and it seemed like being closer to family and friends would be a good move. I’ve always admired Petrie from afar, and Gettysburg is an institution that values athletics and academics, which is really attractive. While we built the program at Vassar, and that experience will help me here, I’m excited to continue the tradition that’s begun here. The interview process also exceeded expectations. Everyone was so open and welcoming. It was great.

H&H: What are your primary goals for this team?

D: The first goal is we want to create a men’s program that is unparalleled nationally and in the conference. We want to emphasize academics and athletics. We want players that are positive and respectable members of community. They are going to be immersed and involved in Gettysburg. We want to graduate men’s basketball players that we can all be proud of. I don’t talk about winning because that’s obvious. We have a “Do your job mentality” that is the pursuit of excellence. There is the expectation to finish in the top half of the Centennial Conference each year, and we will prepare for that by taking advantage of the non-conference competition. We will always try for the at-large bids.

H&H: How do you plan to follow in Petrie’s footsteps?

D: I’m thankful to follow Coach Petrie because he created a great tradition with invested alum. He recruited good players and created a winning tradition we can sell. He’s been here 30 years, which makes me excited because there’s a reason for that. My style is going to be different, though, and I have to continue to build trust with the guys to kind of recruit them again.

H&H: How have the first few practices with the team been?

D: They’ve been great. On Monday [May 7] we had small individual workouts to get to know each other on individual level. There’s a good energy because everything is new. It’s invaluable that we get to know each other before October.

H&H: You came into the head coaching positions at a pretty young age, so did you know always know college coaching was for you?

D: I actually thought I wanted to work in the main office for an NBA team. I interned looking at draft picks etc, but then I realized that once the team was built I would have no say in what happened after. I like building relationships and working with people, so I realized I wanted to be in basketball but on floor coaching. I was a student assistant coach my senior year and became totally immersed in it. I’ve been doing it ever since.

H&H: Is there something special you find in liberal arts student athletics?

D: I have a strong affection for liberal arts colleges [as a Bates College graduate]. At a lot of liberal arts educational systems you get to take control of your own academics. Being able to write is a really important piece. A lot of times you work in groups, and teamwork is important. It prepares for the real world.

H&H: Outside of the actual skills required for basketball, what do you think is most important for success with the team?

D: We talk a lot about sharing your pie. You play division III in sports because you’re passionate about it. I just don’t think anything great is accomplished without enthusiasm. Basketball is a really long season. Loving the game, and having the grit — those are the intangibles necessary to win.We want to recruit players who have a winning tradition. Gettysburg gets the best players because of success in academics, too.

H&H: Any plans to coach golf, too, like Coach Petrie?

D: I’m going to be the assistant men’s golf coach actually. I taught golf at Vassar, so I know a little about it.

H&H: How does your sociology background help in coaching?

D: I actually did my college thesis on group cohesion on sports teams based on Emile Durkheim’s organic and mechanical solidarity [in] collegiate athletics. Being on a team and leading one is all about analyzing and communicating effectively — how you deliver information to people. You need to know how to communicate effectively.

H&H: Have you been to servo yet?

D: Oh yeah, servo is awesome. The cookies are phenomenal. I’ve been a couple of times, and I will probably go today.

For the Gettysburg College’s Class of 2018, the long-awaited day has finally arrived: commencement. Gettysburg’s 183rd commencement represents the culmination of their college careers in which the graduates symbolically exit Pennsylvania Hall through the Beachem Portico, mirroring their entrance during convocation during their first day, marking the end to their undergraduate experience. Hundreds of friends, family, faculty, and staff join to celebrate the hard work of the graduating class.

President Riggs reminded the Class of 2018 of what they have accomplished at Gettysburg, “You have gained skills and confidence in articulating your ideas, you have overcome obstacles, and you have opened yourselves to new ways of thinking.”

“You have engaged in politics and public service, competed on playing fields, participated in and led student organizations, performed on stage, presented your research here on campus and around the world, and helped our community to take steps towards becoming more inclusive. These experiences together have formed your education.”

Provost Christopher Zappe presented the annual Award for Distinguished Teaching to William Bowman, Professor of History and the current holder of the Johnson Distinguished Teaching Professorship in the Humanities, “Bill is the kind of professor who goes out of his way to engage students when they are troubled as well whether they are having difficulty in their academic work or social lives or experiencing difficulties at home.”

Morgan Hubbard ‘18, the senior class speaker, spoke about the varying paths that led students to Gettysburg College, and the direction students will follow afterwards, “Higher education is a privilege. Although we are all gathered here today in the same gowns, the path that got us here look very different. For some, growing up, college was an expectation, not an exception. For others, the fight for admission was grueling and was followed by a fight for the security to accept.”

“I am hopeful that we will all part from our student body knowing the value of our degrees, not just for what is written on the paper, but for what is written in our histories. We are unique in our understanding of the history of Gettysburg for more than a battle, but for a long network of people learning and leading progress beyond this town. I hope that we will value Gettysburg for its good and its bad, work to change the latter, and promote the power of education in creating social change, even in times when fear seems our closest companion.”

Co-chairs of the Senior Class Gift Committee, Alison Pollard ‘18 and Edward Hughes Jr. ‘18 announced that the graduating seniors raised $6,381 for the Gettysburg fund and Orange and Blue club.

Chemel went on to present three candidates for honorary degrees: Rebecca Stevens Halstead for the degree of Doctor of Military Science, Francisco J. Nunez for the degree of Doctor of Music, and Howard David Fineman for the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Fineman went on to deliver the keynote speech and spoke about Eisenhower and Lincoln and their association with Gettysburg College, “So what is there about these two men who are associated with Gettysburg and this college and this place that give us hope? They give us guidance. They give us lessons.”

“Abe and Ike were American exceptionalists, deeply so. That was the whole point to them. We owe it to ourselves and the world to merit our gift. You know, we are always going to argue. But we have the freedom of citizenship here in the United States to do so and I would say to all of the foreign students from overseas who are here, if I may say so, and again despite our flaws, what you have seen here at Gettysburg I think is something that is good to take to the rest of the world.”

President Riggs concluded: “Change doesn’t always come easily. You cannot spark change by wishing it upon the world. Rather, you ignite change by giving fully of yourself to something greater. And by inspiring others to do the same. Every one of you has the power and the potential to make a difference.”

]]>http://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/college-holds-183rd-commencement-for-the-class-of-2018/feed/011823Farewell from the Editor-in-Chiefhttp://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/farewell-from-the-editor-in-chief/
http://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/farewell-from-the-editor-in-chief/#respondSun, 20 May 2018 11:02:49 +0000http://gettysburgian.com/?p=11694

I had the opportunity to meet NBC’s Chris Matthews during my tenure as Editor-in-Chief (Photo Miranda Harple/Gettysburg College)

By Jamie Welch, Editor-in-Chief

I have been deluding myself into thinking this day would never come, but now it has arrived: I am graduating from Gettysburg College today and this is the final day I will oversee The Gettysburgian as Editor-in-Chief. This moment is bittersweet. Sure, I will miss chasing down leads and typing up stories. But, on the other hand, I look forward to having my Wednesday nights … and really all my other nights too … back.

Since I took up the mantle of Editor-in-Chief two years ago from Lauren Perry and Brendan Raleigh, the paper has seen astronomical growth. We developed our online and social media presence, launched new mobile apps, and massively increased the ranks of our staff. We held a panel on investigative journalism. Tens of thousands of people from around the world now read our content every month, and hundreds of people listen to On Target, our new podcast, every week.

Our publication is now truly digital first, publishing stories in real time and keeping the campus community informed of breaking news. We have been praised by faculty, staff, students and administrators alike for the accuracy, clarity and speed of our reporting.

The Gettysburgian is once again an award-winning publication. This year, we were recognized for our outstanding journalism by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. The Gettysburgian was awarded three Student Keystone Press Awards for our news coverage, sports photography, and music reviews.

The Gettysburgian has become a force for change. People read what we write, and they take action. This fall, we called attention to an extremely broad and overreaching new unauthorized recording policy. Under this policy, a student Facetiming their friend inside the library could have been subject to college judicial action if another student walked into the camera shot and was inadvertently broadcasted to the other end of the video call. Following our editorial, the administration clarified which areas are private, and which are public.

I didn’t achieve all of this alone. If it wasn’t for the help of my fellow editors and staff members, especially my managing news editor Benjamin Pontz, we wouldn’t be able produce the kind of quality journalism that our readers have come to expect.

That’s not to say that there weren’t mistakes and failures along the way—that gratuitously large photo on the front page of a student arrested for drug dealing comes to mind—but those failures afforded us the opportunity to grow through our mistakes and work even harder to be the best we could be. Indeed, we are defined not by our failures and successes along the way, but by where we end up at the end of our journey.

And what a journey it has been. The four years I have spent with this paper and with this college have been truly transformative. I have made friends that will be with me for a lifetime and I have had experiences and opportunities during my time here that I never dreamed were possible when I applied four years ago.

As I graduate and move on to law school, I now lay the mantle in Ben’s more than capable hands. My sincere hope for this publication is that it never stops striving to be a better version of itself. The Gettysburgian celebrated 120 years of journalistic excellence this year. Here’s to the next 120!

Gettysburg College now has a statement of institutional philosophy on freedom of expression (Photo Vera Ekhator/The Gettysburgian)

By Benjamin Pontz, Managing News Editor

Almost a year to the day after Robert Spencer, Director of Jihad Watch, spoke on campus, sparking debate over whether the college should impose limits on institutional freedom of expression and prompting President Janet Morgan Riggs to charge a panel to explore the issue and draft a statement of institutional philosophy, the Gettysburg College Board of Trustees approved that statement at its final meeting of the year last weekend.

The Trustees’ decision comes after the faculty and Student Senate ratified the statement by large margins, and, with the approval of all three groups, the college has now officially adopted it as its statement of institutional philosophy on freedom of expression.

Since last October, Dr. Jennifer Bloomquist, Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Dean of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Programs, led a committee that Riggs charged to hold conversations about freedom of expression and then to draft a statement of institutional philosophy that would provide context and guide future decision-making around the issue.

Bloomquist said Friday that the strong support from each of the three constituencies is affirming to the process her committee undertook.

“That tells me that even though the process was long, it was thorough and meaningful. I am happy that we saw overwhelming support of the final draft from campus stakeholders,” she said. “Looking back, I am thankful that I was asked to lead the effort and I feel that I learned so much from the work we all did. I am especially impressed with the time and energy put in by some of our students in particular. The discussion of the philosophy fostered conversations within and across different groups on campus that otherwise might not have happened so I’m grateful we all had that opportunity.”

Bloomquist was pleased with the engagement of the campus community around the issue, but she said that she wished there was a “more inclusive voting mechanism” for those on campus who were able to participate in discussion, but were not represented by one of the three groups that ultimately ratified the statement.

With the new philosophy in tow, the Student Life Committee and other organs of College Life will review college policies to ensure they are in alignment with the statement. The only revision to the statement after it was initially released to the campus struck a clause that said the college may seek to restrict speech that violates college policy; the drafting committee noted that the college had promised a review of existing policy in light of the new statement and did not want to implicitly endorse such policies by including the clause.

Moving forward, Bloomquist hopes that this statement will not mark the end of conversations about freedom of expression.

“I would also like to see continuing discussions across campus about the free expression of ideas,” she said, “and am hoping that we will continue to think about the ways in which we can better support civil discourse here on campus.”

Conservatory musicians received surprising news Thursday afternoon, just days after having completed their end-of-semester jury performances: Vimbayi Kaziboni, the Director of the Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra (GCSO), is leaving Gettysburg College.

Kaziboni, an Assistant Professor of Music who came to Gettysburg in the fall of 2016 and also taught classes in musicology and was scheduled to teach orchestration in the fall and conducting next spring, said in an email to music majors and minors as well as GCSO members that he had accepted a faculty position at the Boston Conservatory, part of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There, he said, he will lead the graduate program in contemporary music, curate the annual New Music Festival, and conduct the Composer’s Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Contemporary Music Ensemble.

The news caught students by surprise, and several declined to comment on account of not knowing what to say.

“I didn’t see this coming. Honestly, I don’t think anyone could have seen this coming,” said Skyler Ehly ’18, a percussionist who played in GCSO under Kaziboni last spring. “I have no idea how they’ll be able to find someone so quickly.”

A native of Zimbabwe, Kaziboni has performed around the world and, concurrent with his post at Gettysburg, he serves as assistant conductor of Ensemble InterContemporainin Paris as well as artistic director of the New Philharmonic in Omaha.

During his maverick tenure at Gettysburg, he programmed unique concerts such as “Unanswered Questions: Music from the United States and Soviet Russia” last fall, which included a violin soloist from the National Symphony Orchestra as well as a pre-concert lecture by a Cold War historian. He also arranged music that the orchestra performed; in September, GCSO performed “My Heart’s in the Highlands,” which Kaziboni arranged based on an 18th century Robert Burns poem.

“I have enjoyed our time together so fervently and I believe that we have done very important work together. These two years have also been a time of profound personal and artistic growth for me as an artist-teacher.” – Vimbayi Kaziboni

Kaziboni said in his departure announcement that he did not reach the decision to leave Gettysburg lightly.

“It has been such a privilege being part of the intellectual and cultural community of Gettysburg College over the last two years,” he wrote. “Making the decision to leave Gettysburg over the last few weeks has been utterly torturous. I have enjoyed our time together so fervently and I believe that we have done very important work together. These two years have also been a time of profound personal and artistic growth for me as an artist-teacher. I am thankful to each of you and to Gettysburg College for the opportunity to make an impact in the classroom, the concert hall, and the community at-large.”

Gettysburg Provost Christopher Zappe said that he learned of Kaziboni’s plans on Tuesday and that he will miss Kaziboni’s “valued contributions” to the college. While the college plans to launch an international search for a permanent replacement beginning later this year, Zappe said the college is considering a variety of options to fill the orchestra director position as well as Kaziboni’s teaching load in the fall.

“In consultation with faculty members in the Sunderman Conservatory, Director Kay Hoke is presently considering alternative ways to fill the Orchestra position for the fall,” Zappe said. “One of the available options is to hire a visiting assistant professor through a search process that would commence shortly.”

Kaziboni is not the Conservatory’s only departure; Dr. Kay Hoke is currently completing an end-of-tenure sabbatical ahead of her planned retirement. The college hired Dr. James Day, currently Assistant Dean in the School of Arts and Communication at The College of New Jersey, to fill her position beginning July 2.

Zappe said Day has been informed of Kaziboni’s decision and will be involved in the process to hire his permanent replacement in the fall.

In the meantime, Zappe is confident the position will be filled by a qualified educator in the fall either through a visiting assistant professorship or a part-time adjunct appointment.

“The Sunderman Conservatory,” he said, “will undoubtedly hire a well qualified full-time or part-time music educator to staff this very important position.”

Recently, a documentary was released entitled “Bobby Kennedy for President.” Predictably, the film focuses on the career of Robert Kennedy, beginning with his role as a campaign manager for his brother John and ending with a discussion of his legacy in the contemporary era. More specifically, it traces the journey of Kennedy toward the realization of the ideals he strived to achieve for his entire career.

In light of the 50th anniversary of Robert Kennedy’s assassination on June 6th, perhaps it is well to examine what Kennedy’s legacy means to all of us, and its significance to the United States as a whole. Robert Kennedy, from a young age, garnered a reputation as the meekest and most thoughtful of his brothers.

In a family of powerful personalities and ambition, it is easy to be overlooked as a simple footnote of an otherwise storied family history, towered over by diplomats and presidents alike. However, Robert used his thoughtfulness and drive to overcome the seemingly insurmountable intimidation of his self-assured older brothers, striving only for what he was taught as a boy: to achieve victory.

As a campaign manager and as an attorney for various congressional committees, Kennedy gained a reputation as a “ruthless man.” In his pursuit of organized crime in Congress and in the Justice Department, his tenacity was legendary and constant. In his advocacy for important causes in these same positions, his perseverance was a ubiquity.

Upon his brother’s assassination in 1963, Robert Kennedy found that in the Johnson administration, his ideals and work were of little use in advocacy for the causes that were so important to him.

Subsequently, he campaigned for and was elected to the United States Senate in 1964. Therein, as a freshman senator from New York, Kennedy was able to engage with issues that were of importance in his view not only to himself, but to the moral fiber of the nation. As an advocate for poverty alleviation, he spoke to less affluent citizens from coast to coast, from Bedford Stuyvesant to the Mississippi Delta to rural Kentucky. In his efforts for legal equality for farm workers, he traveled across the sun-kissed plains of the west to speak directly to those who were affected most by low wages and deplorable living conditions. In advocating for peace in Vietnam he confronted the most powerful actors in American politics, challenging the very President whom he had once served as Attorney General of the United States.

Once it became clear that the circumstances he fought to alter would remain constant if more radical action was not taken, Kennedy decided to campaign for the presidency in 1968. Reviving the energetic spirit of his brother, the Kennedy campaign circled the nation for months, touching thousands of lives and rising to the utmost prominence from the shade of obscurity.

Robert Kennedy’s American crusade embodied the ripple of hope that arose from the hearts and minds of an awoken people; it was within Robert Kennedy that the aspirations of a nation rested. After achieving victory in the California Democratic primary election of 1968, however, that hope was met with the cruel and cold hand of fate in a hotel kitchen.

Upon the death of Martin Luther King Jr., Kennedy had appealed to the magnanimity of the human spirit, pleading with a wounded nation to not lash out in anger.

Speaking to a crowd writhing with pain, he only hoped the words his favorite poet could pacify the desire for revenge: “Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”

The so-called “ruthless man” believed that through tragedy and despair, we may garner the fortitude to overcome our greatest obstacles and challenges.

In truth, the assassination of Robert Kennedy in the kitchen of The Ambassador Hotel cannot extinguish the cause for which he advocated. Above all, Kennedy believed in the common humanity of man, and that it is the duty of all human beings to treat each other with dignity and respect.

In seeking peace, in seeking prosperity, in seeking solutions for the greater good, our work is never done. Although he often shunned his reputation as a ruthless man, Robert Kennedy’s tenacity in fighting injustice whenever and wherever it exists is perhaps the keystone of his legacy. In pursuit of what is righteous, ruthlessness is invariably the just course.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 9” cake pans and coat with cocoa. Put all ingredients for the cake in a large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed until just mixed. Increase to high and beat for 4 minutes. Pour batter into two pans. Bake for 30 minutes. Test doneness with toothpick (should come out clean). Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks before icing.

Frosting-Beat all ingredients in mixing bowl. Increase speed to high and beat 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Spread evenly on one cake and then place second on top and ice entire double-layer cake.

Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of “Gettysburg Great Recipes,” a new feature in which members of the campus community submit their favorite recipes. If you would like to be featured, please submit the recipe and a photo (of you and/or the dish) to editors@gettysburgian.com.

Frank is pictured on the left (Promotional photo via Ba Da Bing! Records)

By Alex Tottser, Guest Columnist

From Congressman Ron Paul to author Jerry Spinelli, Gettysburg College has a history of producing influential alumni. Unfortunately there are many great Gettysburgians that have slipped through the cracks, and Jackson C. Frank is one of those alumni.

For most people, their only experience with his music would have been his song “Blues Run the Game,” which was played in the opening of episode three in the T.V. show This Is Us.

Considered an influence by musicians such as Paul Simon and Nick Drake, Frank has seen increased interest in his work with the reissues of his recordings in the years following his death.

As he was only at Gettysburg for a year before he dropped out and went to England, details are rather scarce about his time as a Gettysburgian. What is known is that he attended in 1961, majored in journalism, and performed with several of his friends both on campus and around the area.

Thankfully, some of these recordings have survived and can be heard on The Complete Recordings box set. Although the audio quality is poor, it is easy to see how these performances would help shape his songwriting style later in life.

Following his time at the college, Frank moved to England after receiving inheritance money and attempted to work his way into the burgeoning English folk scene.

After several well received performances, Paul Simon approached Jackson wanting to produce an album. The resulting work, simply titled Jackson C. Frank, is one of the greatest folk albums of all time.

Featuring dark songwriting, and haunting vocals by Jackson, the album was a critical success but commercial failure. After England, he married, had two children, and moved back to the United States.

Tragedy struck when his son died from cystic fibrosis. His son’s death, along with his own problems with typhoid, would cause him to spiral into depression.

The last years of his life would see him nearly penniless and in continually bad health. Despite the darkness of his life, the impact of his work is still felt today. Like many other musicians of the era, it would not be until after his death that his genius would become known.

The new editions of his albums have seen increased popularity, and have brought him fame that he failed to find in his lifetime.

For any student who enjoys the music of artists like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, I highly recommend the work of Jackson C. Frank.

Gettysburg College should take pride in helping to shape the career of one of history’s most underrated musicians.

Brad DeMartino pitches for the Bullets (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College Athletics)

By Brody Tennant, Staff Writer

Last week, the Gettysburg College baseball team took part in the sixth annual Take ALS Yard Day, facing off against McDaniel College on Kirchhoff Field. The event is held every year to raise money for Project ALS.

Senior Brad DeMartino threw his second straight complete game, giving up eight hits en route 4-2 Centennial Conference victory. Fellow senior Josh Cubell gave the Bullets the lead in the fourth inning with a two-run single, which would be enough to give them the lead for the rest of the game.

First-year Sean Murphy also played an important role in securing the Bullets victory. He went 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Six days prior, DeMartino had given up only four hits in a 3-1 victory over Swarthmore College. In his game against McDaniel, he was able to continue that success, striking out three batters and giving up zero walks. His performance only got better as the game went on, where he allowed only two hits over the final five innings.

“I hit the groove that I was looking for all season. In the beginning my fastball had some good life and then as the game went on and I lost a little bit of velocity I started going to the curveball and the changeup and got a good feel for that,” said DeMartino. “That started to work really well, and I started to get some swing and misses, which I didn’t have much of in the beginning of the game but had to resort to that near the end and it worked out well.”

The Bullets were able to spot themselves some runs early in the game. In the first inning, first-year Matt Szczesny was hit by a pitch, which was followed up by sophomore Joe Giovinco reaching base safely on an infield single. After senior Logan Sneed reached first on a fielder’s choice, Murphy crushed a double to right field, clearing the bases and giving the Bullets a 2-0 lead.

In the third inning, McDaniel was able to come back and tie the score at 2. With two outs, they hit three straight singles to send two baserunners to home.

However, in the next inning the Bullets answered right back. Back to back hits from Sneed and Murphy put runners at second and third. Cubell followed Murphy, and with some decisive hitting was able to take a 2-0 pitch into the outfield just over the heads of the drawn-in infield.

“There were runners on second and third, and I’ve been seeing the ball well recently, and I knew that all I really had to do was hit the ball hard, as long as it wasn’t right at someone,” said Cubell. “I got a fastball, hit it right back where it came from right up the middle and was able to get the two go-ahead runs in, so it felt really good.”

DeMartino took control of the game at this point, retiring nine straight batters and not allowing anyone past first base. He ended the game with a total of 124 pitches, recording his eighth career complete game and his 16th career victory.

Gettysburg ended their Centennial Conference games with a doubleheader against Haverford College, where they split the games.

Dry the steaks, and lightly coat them with baking powder. Put the steaks on a rack in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This is a method for creating a crust on the steak.

In a bowl, mix equal amounts (1 teaspoon) of cumin, coriander, black pepper and salt to make a dry rub for both sides of the steak. If you like spicy food, add a small amount of cayenne pepper powder. Take the steaks out of the refrigerator, and use the dry rub on both sides of the steak.

Grill the steak on hardwood charcoal (with a few apple wood or hickory chunks about 5 minutes per side.

Using a blender or food processor, chop the garlic, then add cilantro, parsley, the red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, a bit of cayenne, cumin, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Blend/pulse until the mixture is smooth.

Slice the steak to make it thin, then serve the sauce on the side.

Enjoy!

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of “Gettysburg Great Recipes,” a new feature in which members of the campus community submit their favorite recipes. If you would like to be featured, please submit the recipe and a photo (of you and/or the dish) to editors@gettysburgian.com.

The Gettysburg College men’s golf team has performed at an elite level throughout the spring season.

Competing in six different tournaments and invitationals the Bullets have finished in the top four in all but one.

Helping a young team stay this consistent is lone senior Jack Ecke, a political science major from Prospect, Connecticut.

Averaging 80.8 strokes per round this year, Ecke has been a solid presence on the team this season. Yet his success is nothing new.

Over his four years with the Bullets, Ecke has come to boast a career average of 80.0 strokes per round, putting him just outside the top 15 players in the Centennial Conference.

Ecke recently shot a career best 73 at the Dickinson Spring Invitational where he finished in a five-way tie for fourth place. The Bullets finished second by seven points that day. Ecke finished second for the team, just behind junior Danny Harcourt.

Ecke’s performance at Dickinson College puts him below the lowest scoring average of the top players in the Conference for the season.

His ability to get hot at the right time could prove essential at the end of the season, as he moves up in Conference standings.

The Bullets will look to close out their strong season this coming weekend at the Centennial Conference Championships hosted by Muhlenberg College at Brookside Country Club in Macungie Pennsylvania.

Ecke will definitely be a strong performer this weekend in his final tournament for the Bullets as the currently third-place ranked team looks to fight for a Centennial Conference crown.

The Gettysburg College Board of Trustees has decided to rescind Bill Cosby’s honorary degree, which he received in 1997 after serving as the Commencement Speaker. The decision was made by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Board, which “determined that the actions or inactions of the honorary degree recipient have been in violation of federal or state law and/or the values expressed in the Gettysburg College Mission Statement.”

The decision comes on the heels of Cosby’s conviction on three counts of aggravated indecent assault last Friday.

Throughout the week prior to the meeting, Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) and College Democrats circulated a petition that garnered more than 60 signatures advocating the removal of the degree. The petition was sent to Gettysburg President Janet Morgan Riggs and Dean of Students Julie Ramsey Friday afternoon, Andrew Dalton, President of College Democrats, said.

By that time, however, the Board of Trustees had already voted to rescind the degree, Jamie Yates, Executive Director of Communications and Media Relations, said in an email to The Gettysburgian.

In revoking the degree, Gettysburg joined a growing number of institutions — including Temple University, Cosby’s alma mater — to take that step.

Julia Burgess, Co-President of SASA, said she wanted Cosby’s degree to be revoked because his conduct stands at odds with Gettysburg’s institutional values.

“Our college is one that upholds values of respect, dignity, authenticity, honesty, curiosity and leadership,” she said in a statement to The Gettysburgian earlier in the week. “Cosby violated those values.”

This story was updated at 10:51 p.m. on Saturday evening.

]]>http://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/college-rescinds-cosbys-honorary-degree/feed/011760Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs to Retire in June 2019http://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/gettysburg-college-president-janet-morgan-riggs-to-retire-in-june-2019/
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(Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College)

By Jamie Welch, Editor-in-Chief

Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs announced at this afternoon’s faculty meeting that she plans to retire in June 2019.

“It’s been a very difficult decision, in some ways because I feel so connected to Gettysburg College and I have such great respect and admiration for this institution,” Riggs said, “and there are many things about this job that I love. It has truly been an honor to serve as Gettysburg’s president. But, I’ve been in this role longer than I ever imagined…it will be 11 [years] by this time next year. That far exceeds the average presidency these days which is about six years.”

Riggs says the she plans to use her retirement to cross items off her and her husband’s bucket list.

“I have given this job just about everything I have to give, 24/7. And so, I made a deal with my husband that I would wind this up so that we would have some time to do some of the things that we really have been waiting to do,” she said.

The retirement announcement came as the college is preparing to wrap up the $150 million Gettysburg Great capital campaign later this month. Riggs was instrumental in developing and ensuring the success of this campaign, the first such campaign since Gordon Haaland’s $100 million campaign which was completed just before his retirement in 2004.

A Gettysburg alumna from the Class of 1977, Riggs received her undergraduate degree in psychology and mathematics, and she proceeded to earn an M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from Princeton University. Riggs joined the psychology faculty in 1981, where she served as department chairperson. Riggs has served in many roles at the college, including executive assistant to the president, interim provost, and provost. Riggs was appointed the 14th president of Gettysburg College in 2009 after serving as interim president in 2008.

Riggs is the recipient of the Gettysburg College Student Senate Faculty Appreciation Award, the Thompson Award for Distinguished Teaching, and the Woman of Distinction Award. She has taught courses in experimental methods, social psychology and general psychology and has conducted research in the areas of attitude attribution and expectancy confirmation.

During her tenure as president, Riggs has overseen many campus improvement projects including the construction of the The John F. Jaeger Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness and renovations such as the Glatfelter Hall renovation, and the ongoing renovations to the College Union Building.

President Janet Morgan Riggs converses with students at Servo Thanksgiving (Photo Jamie Welch / The Gettysburgian)

Riggs has earned a reputation as a kind-hearted and beloved president. Riggs can often be found walking around campus and talking to students, and helps serve turkey at the annual Servo Thanksgiving dinner. She is known affectionately by the nickname JMR, a nickname which came seemingly out of nowhere but one which she has come to embrace, she told The Gettysburgian last year.

“It just sort of happened, and then I thought, ‘Oh I kind of like that,’ and so then I started signing things that way on occasion … my own children now sometimes refer to me as JMR,” she said.

A national search for a new president will begin soon, and more details on that process will be released over the summer. Riggs made it clear at the faculty meeting and in her email to campus that she does not intend for her last year in office to be a “lame duck” year.

“I will continue to be engaged fully as your president until my retirement in June 2019,” she said. “We have much still to accomplish together over the coming year!”

]]>http://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/gettysburg-college-president-janet-morgan-riggs-to-retire-in-june-2019/feed/011747Men’s Track and Field Races to Second in Home Invitehttp://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/mens-track-and-field-races-to-second-in-home-invite/
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Bullets track and field athletes line the field to honor graduating seniors (Photo courtesy of Colleen Campbell).

By John Zak, Staff Writer

The Gettysburg College men’s track and field team took second place of 15 teams at the Mason-Dixon Invitational hosted by Gettysburg College Saturday.

The invitational was the lone home meet for the Bullets, and the team made sure to show off for prospective students on Get Acquainted Day.

Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg won the meet with 118 total points.

The Bullets followed close with 114 points and beat Centennial Conference rival Dickinson College by three points.

Frostburg State and McDaniel College rounded out the top five spots with 108 and 76 points, respectively.

Prominent individual performances by members of the Gettysburg team included a first-place finish by senior Ty Abdul-Karim in the 100-meter dash. Abdul-Karim posted a personal record of 11.10 seconds in the competition. This victory was Abdul-Karim’s second win of the season, and his new personal record for the 100-meter dash ranks him fourth in school history for that category.

Abdul-Karim also placed third out of 45 competitors in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.02 seconds. This is Abdul-Karim’s second season with the team.

First-year Nicholas Grissinger finished first of 15 competitors in the 400-meter hurdle competition with a time of 57.44 seconds. This time is a new personal record for Grissinger and his second event win of the season.

Grissinger beat out his nearest competitor by nearly two seconds.

Junior Mike Miller earned runner up recognition in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 34:47.58 minutes, which qualified him for the Centennial Conference Championships next week.

Three additional Bullets captured third place during the Invitational.

With a distance of of 21-3 1/2 in the Men’s long jump, sophomore Kenneth Barnes took third of 28 in the competition.

Sophomore Nate Trinidad Doherty finished third of 27 in the Men’s Javelin with a score of 152-3, and, with a jump of 40-5 ½, junior Joe Amadio was third of 10 competitors in the Men’s triple jump.

Junior Matt Robinson placed fourth out of 15 competitors in the one-mile run with time of 4:31.18, respectively.

The historical Mason-Dixon mile was dominated by members of the Gettysburg track team.

Positions four through nine were filled by the Bullets.

In fifth place was junior Alex Petrecca, while sixth place was earned by first-year Dylan McKeever, seventh by sophomore Aren Heitmann, eighth by first-year Christian Rodriguez, and ninth by first-year Jack Kenyon.

After the one-mile competition, Petrecca returned to the track to take fifth in the 800- meter run with a time of 2.52 minutes, respectively.

Junior Thaddeus Cwiklinski raced to sixth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.95 seconds.

Towards the end of the meet, a brief break was taken on the track to honor the graduating seniors.

Six Bullets will leave the Gettysburg Men’s track team in May.

Covering all events, these Bullets are co-captain Thomas Clark from the multi, co-captain Robert Weisensee in mid-distance, Abdul-Kharim in sprints, Ryan Thompson in sprints and jumps, and Harry Thoman and Caleb Parker from the distance squad.

In an interview for Gettysburg College Athletics with Braden Snyder, Clark said, “we have a lot of athletes and depth that are dedicated and willing to step out of their comfort zones by participating in different events to help the team. Also overall the dedication of our athletes between our break and now shows that everyone put in work and are ready for this season.”

The performance at the home invitation serves as proof to Clark’s statement.

The Gettysburg College Men’s Track and Field team will end its regular season in a final tune up before Centennial Conference Championships at Shippensburg University this Saturday at 9a.m.

In May of 1997, comedian Bill Cosby served as the keynote speaker for Commencement at Gettysburg College, and, as is typical for such speakers, he received an honorary degree.

Last week, a Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, jury found Cosby guilty on three counts of indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, an employee at Temple University, where Cosby served as a Trustee.

In light of the conviction, Gettysburg College’s Board of Trustees will review the status of Cosby’s honorary degree at its final meeting of the academic year this weekend.

“Yes, it’s under review,” said Jamie Yates, a spokesperson for the college. “The decision lies with the Board of Trustees … in consultation with the President.”

In 2016, the Board of Trustees adopted a policy that would enable revocation of honorary degrees. It requires a two-thirds vote and may be implemented as a result of “action(s) or inaction(s) of the honorary degree recipient have been in violation of federal or state law and/or the values expressed in the Gettysburg College Mission Statement,” College President Janet Morgan Riggs said in an email.

“Given the recent verdict, I expect the Board will discuss the Bill Cosby situation when they meet next weekend,” Riggs added, declining to offer her personal opinion on the matter.

Dr. Shirley Anne Warshaw, Professor of Political Science, has advocated for rescinding Cosby’s honorary degree since credible allegations that he sexually assaulted dozens of women have arisen. She welcomed the news that the Board of Trustees would consider the matter this weekend.

“Over the past two years, I have repeatedly asked the Board to remove the college from the list of Bill Cosby’s honorary degrees,” she said. “We became an outlier as college after college rescinded his honorary degree as more than sixty women gave vivid testimony of sexual assault. I look forward to the Board finally addressing this issue following Cosby’s conviction this week by rescinding his honorary degree.”

At least 20 institutions have revoked honorary degrees they had awarded to Cosby, and dozens more are considering doing so according to a Forbes report. A 1999 article in New York Times suggested that Cosby has received more than 100 honorary degrees. Temple University, Cosby’s alma mater, rescinded an honorary doctorate conferred in 1991 last Friday.

If Gettysburg’s Board of Trustees does rescind the degree, it will be the first time that has happened in recent memory.

Julia Burgess, Co-President of Students Against Sexual Assault at Gettysburg, hopes the Board moves quickly to rescind the degree.

“This action of support for survivors of sexual assault would demonstrate the college’s desire and ability to create a safe environment for all,” she said in a written statement. “It is so important to believe survivors, and as such, the college has a duty to acknowledge the affects [sic] that a mere honorary degree could have on our survivors and on this institution. To do nothing sets up our college to criticism, backlash, and refutes the tireless efforts that the Office of Violence Prevention and Title IX Office … . Our college is one that upholds values of respect, dignity, authenticity, honesty, curiosity and leadership; Cosby violated those values.”

The Gettysburg College Democrats have begun circulating a petition to campus organizations, student government, and faculty and staff urging the Board of Trustees to revoke the degree.

The petition reads, in part: “We believe that taking this action will reinforce continued efforts the college has made to offer support to victims of sexual assault on our campus. It is critical that we listen to and believe survivors, and acknowledge that sexual assault affects people of every race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status. Mr. Cosby does not embody the ideals that Gettysburg College strives to uphold.”

The Board of Trustees meets this weekend beginning on Friday, and it is expected to discuss the matter at one of its meetings.

]]>http://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/board-of-trustees-to-consider-rescinding-bill-cosbys-honorary-degree/feed/011741Senate Spends Down Remaining Budget in Final Meeting as New Executive Board Installedhttp://gettysburgian.com/2018/05/senate-spends-down-remaining-budget-in-final-meeting-as-new-executive-board-installed/
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Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College

By Sarah Hinck, Staff Writer

At long last, the Gettysburg Student Senate has finalized its executive board for the 2018-2019 Academic Year as Nick Arbaugh’20 emerged victorious after having obtained a narrow 39% plurality of the votes cast in the re-vote for Senate President.

Arbaugh defeated Anna Burns ‘19 and Alex Xie ‘20. Burns previously lost in the first, equally competitive election to Haley Gluhanich ‘19 who was soon after accused of voter intimidation and was ultimately barred from running in the new election. Unlike Gluhanich, however, Marisa Balanda ‘21, found responsible for similar misconduct during the election for vice president, which she lost, was eligible to run again for the position of Secretary, which she had won the first time around.

“It was not my intention to cause rifts within senate,” Balanda said. She continued to defend her actions as well as her character, emphasizing how “secretary was not the election under scrutiny,” and stating, “I have always been a rule follower.”

In a statement to The Gettysburgian, Balanda said, “I am eager to take on the duties of secretary, but I am also committed to revising and editing the constitution so that the language is specific, clear, and representative of the ideals stated within the mission of the senate. I am grateful to those members who voted for me to retain this position. It was the right decision, and I will serve my peers with diligence, integrity, and objectivity.”

Arbuagh, the previously the elected Treasurer, will fill this vacancy next fall.

The meeting was the last to be led by President Luke Frigon ‘18 and the other members of the 2017-2018 executive board.

Frigon applauded the body’s efforts to become “less of a piggy bank club and more of an activist body.”

In that spirit, the body approved spending $22,500 in remaining funds on installing water bottle filling stations in each of the six first-year residence halls as well as in Stevens Hall and Musselman Hall and in donations to four charities: Maya Fairbanks Memorial Scholarship Fund – Camp Northwood, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and the Jay Spiese Memorial Fund.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 12:27 p.m. Wednesday to correct the candidates in the Secretary election. The candidates were Balanda, Xie, and Charlie Williamson, not Balanda, Xie, and Burns. (-B. Pontz)

Nick Arbaugh is the 2018-2019 Student Senate President (Submitted photo)

By Jamie Welch, Editor-in-Chief

Nick Arbaugh ‘20 is the Student Senate President for the 2018-2019 Academic Year, Arbaugh confirmed to The Gettysburgian Monday evening.

Arbaugh beat out opponents Anna Burns ‘19 and Alex Xie ‘20 by what is being described as a razor-thin margin to clinch the presidency. Andrew Fitzsimmons ‘19, Chair of the Senate Sustainability Committee, had also declared his candidacy, but withdrew Friday afternoon for personal reasons.

Arbaugh supported Haley Gluhanich ‘19’s candidacy for president and was elected treasurer earlier this month, but decided to throw his name in the ring this time around and run his campaign on a platform of stability for Student Senate in the wake of the voter intimidation scandal earlier this month.

“I’ve always been a responsibility guy when it comes to Senate, and I saw the role of Treasurer as the position which demanded the most accountability (hence my decision to run for it) at that time,” Arbaugh said during the campaign. “After the fiasco following the first election, it became clear to me that the Presidency now needed that accountability, integrity, and even-handedness. Student government demands a President at this critical juncture who is capable, experienced, and who is willing to confront the administration on behalf of students. The Senate needs someone who takes the concerns of the student body seriously, someone who has been working for their entire tenure in student government in the Budget Management, Opinions, and Policy Committees and who is dedicated to the wellbeing students.”

“It is time to build up, to mend, and to emerge from this awful crisis stronger than ever. To do that we need a president with broad-based support who is capable of reunifying student government into the activist body it should be. If elected, I will work each day and with every fiber of my being to be that healer, that advocate, and that president for you,” Arbaugh said.

Arbaugh’s treasurer seat is left open following his election as Senate President and, in accordance with the Senate constitution, Arbaugh will appoint the replacement treasurer. Arbaugh chose not to name a specific candidate during the election, but instead spoke in generalizations, promising to seek someone who will uphold a culture of fiscal responsibility. Some Senate observers have suggested that Arbaugh will appoint Gluhanich as treasurer, something he did not rule out during the election.

“If elected, I will consider everyone in the pool of candidates who apply to the position. Within that pool, I will look for reform-minded candidates who are accountable, responsible, and fair to both sides of the budgeting process. An ideal candidate would be someone who would be committed to streamlining the budget process, would continue to maintain Senate’s fiscal responsibility, and who would bring fresh ideas to the table that would help Senate grow into the activist body it should be,” Arbaugh said.

Arbaugh will be installed as president at Monday night’s Senate meeting along with the rest of the 2018-2019 Executive Board, which includes Vice President Pat Custer ‘19, Parliamentarian Abby Hauer ’21 and Clubs Liaison Laryssa Horodysky ’21. The new secretary will be elected and installed at tonight’s Senate meeting and the new treasurer will be appointed and installed at a later date.

Gettysburg College will be hosting its 10th annual Celebration from April 30 to May 5 of this year. Celebration, or the Colloquium on Undergraduate Research, Creative Activity, and Community Engagement, gives Gettysburg students the opportunity to present their research to the campus community in a wide variety of presentations styles: from posters, to panels, to films, to theatre.

As described by the college website, Celebration is “indeed, a celebration – bringing together a wide range of engaged and energized students as they showcase their great work in thesis research, independent study, coursework, study abroad, community and public service, and visual, performing, and studio arts.”

Jared Richardson ’18, a German Studies and Cinema & Media Studies major, will be presenting his German Studies capstone at Celebration. “I knew that I wanted to work with film to some extent, particularly the movies I really liked from Germany. In the course of the lecture, I learned about the idea of the “Clean Wehrmacht,” something that was believed for years by some groups post-WW2. . .basically the idea was that the war crimes of World War 2 were mostly blamed on the SS and Nazi officials. The German army, the Wehrmacht, were (wrongly) considered innocent by many, just soldiers doing their job,” explained Richardson.

He went on, saying, “My research attempts to explain how the Wehrmacht was shown in films in the immediate post-war period, but after this exhibition broke the myth of the Clean Wehrmacht. Basically, it involved a lot of historical context.”

When asked about the significance of his research, Richardson said, “I think it’s still important to talk about World War 2, especially from the German perspective. My time studying abroad in Berlin showed me how tricky it is to look at the war there … I think what’s even more interesting though is that this debate happened at the turn of the millennium for Germany, but Italy is still looking at their role and finding it hard to believe they had a part in the Holocaust, 70 years after the fact.”

Brittany Bondi ’19, an Environmental Studies major, will be presenting research surrounding “a glacial landform called a cirque within Iceland, specifically on the Peninsula of Flateyjarskagi,” explained Bondi. She spent the summer utilizing the software of ArcGIS and Google Earth to identify these cirques, or “bowl-shaped depressions in bedrock that were created by past glaciation of an area.”

Bondi also traveled to Iceland, along with Marion McKenzie ’19 and her mentor, Dr. Sarah Principato, and got to see these cirques from afar while on a ferry to Grimsey, an island north of the mainland.

“I was particularly interested in this research because I find glaciers fascinating. Glaciers are very visible indicators of climate change, and so it was amazing to study what they do to the actual bedrock. It is also fascinating to see how much information can be derived from a single “hole” in the earth,” Bondi commented. “Studying cirques helps us understand past climate patterns in the region of study.By analyzing cirques and then comparing my results to other cirques globally and regionally, I was able to determine some of the factors that allowed the cirques to develop.”

Richardson and Bondi will be joined by many other students of Gettysburg College to contribute to the distribution, acquisition, and celebration of scholarship among students, faculty and friends of the institution.

Daniel DeNicola will be retiring in May (Photo Gauri Mangala/The Gettysburgian)

By Gauri Mangala, Co-Features Editor

Daniel R. DeNicola, Chairperson and Professor of Philosophy, will be retiring from Gettysburg College this May. DeNicola, who has also served as the Collaege’s Provost (1996-2006) and Vice President of Program Development at Gettysburg College, has experienced the development of Gettysburg College into one of the highest ranked Liberal Arts colleges in the country with his own eyes.

DeNicola, an advocate for lifelong scholarship, found philosophy “because I had many, many academic interests when I got to college I realized I could not pursue them all.” DeNicola realized that what he really enjoyed about these different subjects were the “philosophical dimensions” surrounding them. DeNicola has never regretted his decision to study philosophy, “It’s an amazing field, it’s a good field to take you into many different things.”

As Provost of Gettysburg College, DeNicola worked with the administration to carry through many changes to the college.

“I was very fortunate in being Provost when I was because we had a president who was oriented towards growth and development,” DeNicola said.

“I think couldn’t have found a better situation to work as a Provost,” DeNicola posited. However, “I always imagined I would end my career teaching.” DeNicola felt as though his scholarship had lessened during his time in the administration, and knew that, as a fulltime faculty member, that that would be something he could pursue again wholeheartedly.

DeNicola has since become the Chairperson of the Philosophy Department and has taught higher-level philosophy courses including ‘The Philosophy of Color’ and ‘Philosophy of Place.’ He has gone on to publish two books: “Learning to Flourish: A Philosophical Exploration of Liberal Education” and “Understanding Ignorance: The Surprising Impact of What We Don’t Know,” which won an 2018 Association of American Publisher’s PROSE Award in the Philosophy category.

As DeNicola ends his time at Gettysburg College, he wishes to continue his scholarship and his traveling. He currently is working on a book of ethics that is set to come out in 2019. In terms of the college, DeNicola plans to maintain Gettysburg as a base for a while. “I don’t want to lose contact with the college community.”

DeNicola remains thankful for the time he has had here, noting that “being paid to teach philosophy is a privilege.” While his time at Gettysburg College may end, the journey shall continue. He maintained, “There’s never been a better time in the history of the world to be a scholar.”